Vic: Police to investigate fight with disabled teenager

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2003
Vic: Police to investigate fight with disabled teenager

MELBOURNE, Dec 5 AAP - A violent struggle between police and an intellectually disabled
teenager in south-east Victoria will be investigated by Victoria Police.

Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby said two officers were called to parkland near Dinwoodie
Drive in Moe about 3pm (AEDT) on Wednesday after complaints from local residents that
a man was exposing himself.

"The officers arrived at the parkland and saw a young person matching the description
and behaving in an unusual way, which was causing some people some concern," Mr Ashby
said.

"The members had reasonable grounds to suspect the man ... there was some exposure
of the genitals publicly."

Mr Ashby said the 15-year-old, who was strongly built and appeared much older, refused
to respond to questions from the officers and would not provide his name.

He said the situation "rapidly moved to violence" with the female officer suffering
bruising and a swollen knee in the fight.

"He was a big person and it was a fairly significant struggle, there was kicking, punching,
spitting and so forth," Mr Ashby said.

The teenager suffered minor cuts and bruises in the scuffle.

Mr Ashby said the officers later learnt he was intellectually disabled after his mother
came to collect him from the scene.

He said the Ethical Standards Department would investigate the incident as standard procedure.

The boy's mother has since lodged a complaint with police.

The teenager has not been charged over the incident.

AAP svm/ce/sco/de M

KEYWORD: STRUGGLE

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